Your source for the latest NIKE, Inc. stories

Get Inside Nike’s Dynamic Sport Center in Moscow, the Nike BOX Msk

Designed by KOSMOS Architects (a virtual architectural office with partners based in Geneva, Moscow and New York City), Nike BOX Msk is a 4,685-square-meter site in Gorky Park that includes an outdoor football court inspired by the traditional Russian korobka.

The pavilion, with its transparent facades providing a visual link with the outdoor zone including the park, is BOX Msk’s centerpiece. Its transparency is also a reference to the air unit found in Nike shoes.

These courtyard cages form the heart of Russian football, where many of the nation’s greats got their start in the game. In the hands of KOSMOS, which was selected for the project in a competition, organized by Nike and Strelka KB (an organization that aims to instigate a qualitative change in Russia’s urban landscape), the korobka becomes multidimensional, with the center spanning athletic pursuits ranging from three-on-three basketball to training. There’s also opportunity to do yoga and join Moscow’s Nike Running Club, which has gathered at the park since 2004.

Brazilian legend Ronaldo, pictured at center, says: “With the eyes of the world on football in Russia, I can’t think of a better time to open such an incredible sports facility. I know the passion and love fans have for the game and the launch of Box MSK will inspire the youth of Moscow to play more sport.”

“The park has always been a magnet for sport and cultural expression and this is something we have actively tried to encourage,” says Marina Lylchuk, Director of Gorky Park. “We were happy to work with Nike to create this fantastic new facility for the people of Moscow. It’s a welcome addition to Gorky Park and we are sure it will prove hugely popular.”

The facilities are embellished with stunning artworks, nodding to the BOX Msk’s dual purpose as ultimate sports playground and hub for creativity, community programming and partnerships.

BOX Msk Facts

The site anticipates offering 7,300 hours of sport classes in the first year.

Box MSK will become a key hub for the Nike ‘Made to Play’ initiative, hosting Nike’s local partners Tagsport (which creates free programs to help kids fall in love with football), Children Sport Foundation (which brings sport and play into schools) and Perspektiva (which gives kids with and without physical disabilities the chance to play together). Together these organizations will offer programming for kids age 7-12.

This summer, BOX Msk will host the Korobka Rebels football tournament, where more than 3,000 male and female players across U17 and U21 levels will participate.

Nike conducted 50 hours of interviews with local runners, footballers and basketball players to inform the brief to create the “sport center of Moscow’s dreams."

Though Box MSK lies in the heart of Gorky Park, no trees were removed during the construction process.